“From what we heard, this prick, William, just went through a string of losses. But he recently bought a pregnant pit bull off Marketplace. Let’s get home as many dogs as we can. I figure we’d come back in a day or two and finish the job,” I tell him.
“Should beat him to death,” Axel comments.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I agree, already having had the same thought. This piece of shit deserves a brutal punishment for the pain he’s caused. Especially to innocent animals.
I’m not a good man, never claimed to be, but I do my best to leave the innocent out of club business. Kids, animals, and Omegas are some of the things I consider off-limits. So, the asshole who put these dogs through this deserves every bit of fuckin’ pain I plan to give him.
The cages on the outside seem like a maze, and I’m cutting through every chain linking them together, but we still haven’t found anything. It’s only when we get to the center of the cage, where there’s a small dog house, do I hear a small whimper.
I cut the wire holding the cage shut, and Axel immediately gets down on his haunches.
“Hey old girl, you doin’ okay?” he asks. I bend down too and see the large gray and white pit bull nursing what looks to be about six puppies.
Her short stubby ears pin down, and she gives us wide concerned eyes. Axel shows no fear as he lets her sniff his hand. I have the dark thought that the dog is smelling Lily’s scent, but if anything, that should work in our favor.
The dog submits, letting Axel pet her large head.
“How are we doin’ this?” he asks me.
“I’ll carry as many puppies as I can, if you can take the mama and two pups?” I ask him. He nods his head, cooing sweetly at the protective mother.
“It’s okay, mama, we’re gonna get you and your pups somewhere safe.”
The puppies are pretty large, and I’m wondering how the fuck I’m supposed to carry four of the adorable fuckers when there’s a loud click behind us.
“You fuckin’ lost?” the seething voice taunts from behind us.
Axel and I slowly rise to our feet as we turn around.
“Nope, not lost,” I tell him confidently. He has a shotgun pointed right at my chest.
“You better get the fuck out of here unless you wanna die tonight, son,” he threatens. I take a good look at the man. He looks like shit, his pupils dilated to hell. He’s wearing a stained white tank top and plaid boxer shorts. I’d say he’s malnourished, but I think he’s just on a steady diet of meth based on the current shape and color of his teeth. “I ain’t gonna tell you motherfuckers again.” The shotgun is already loaded, or at least he makes it seem that way as his finger lingers over the trigger.
“You sellin’?” Axel asks, his stance relaxed as he looks at the man with the shotgun.
The man snorts a wad of snot and rubs his chin on his shoulder before lookin’ at Axel.
“Sellin’ what?” he asks.
“Been hearin’ you have the best crystal in town,” Axel says, turning on the charm and lying easily to the man.
“Is that so?” the man asks, his gaze flicking between Axel and me. “If you were lookin’ to buy, why the fuck are you around my dogs?”
“Love dogs, man. I don’t know what else to say,” Axel states nonchalantly.
The man narrows his eyes at us, his shoulders tensing. And I know we need to act soon. There’s a quick horn honking that breaks his attention, giving me the opportunity to smack the shotgun up towards the air. It goes off, but I grip the barrel in my hands as Axel tackles the man to the ground.
As soon as Axel is on top of him, he just starts wailing on him, his fists connecting with the man’s face. The writhing man gets a few hits of his own in before I join in, kicking him in the stomach and tossing the shotgun to the side.
“William?” I ask and the man sputters.
“Fuck,” he groans.
I don’t need another word said or any other reason besides knowing he’s an absolute piece of shit. I pull my handgun out of my pants and aim between his eyes, not even blinking before I pull the trigger. The shot is clean, and he lies there limp.
“Well, he deserved worse,” Axel grumbles, whipping away a smear of blood from the corner of his lip.
“He did, but we need to get the fuck out of here, and after him seein’ us, we didn’t have a choice,” I reason.
